


Shinkai Goes Shopping

by Arghnon



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hoshi Meguri (IDOLiSH7), Fluff, Food, M/M, Shopping, Slice of Life, and mildly regret it, erin and hope get to experience babysitting shinkai, markets, sardinia will always be amused and fond of his shinkai, shinkai learns the concept of money
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-09-26 14:02:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20390881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arghnon/pseuds/Arghnon
Summary: Shinkai's various experiences with 'shopping' on different planets.(Yup, exactly as it says on the tin)





	Shinkai Goes Shopping

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't really know how to tag this when it's just literally Shinkai going shopping. One of the first i7 fics I've ever started to write back in January and I've only finished it now 
> 
> Enjoy!

Hope is delighted that King Sardinia and Shinkai have decided to visit Eterno. He had felt quite, well, lonely when they had all gone their separate ways after their adventure. It isn't like their voyage was all too long, but he still misses their mismatched crew. Having Shinkai around with his chiming gold jewellery and strangely floating cloak brought back a feeling of familiarity. 

He also simply wants to show off the wonders of his home. He has worked hard to build his home into what it is now, from a lawless land of thieves to a lively planet thriving with food and culture. He shows them around the newfound palace, introduces them to the slowly growing team of staff. He shows them the blacksmith he used to work at and his old home with Curse. 

King Sardinia unfortunately pardons himself when they start in the direction of the market. He claims he has an important call to take back on their ship. Hope thinks it may actually be that the dry environment is too much for the king. His normally fair skin is now blotchy and red from the heat.

When Shinkai makes to follow, King Sardinia stops him.

“It will be rude if both of us were to abandon the dear King of Eterno. Enjoy yourself, instead. Make sure to return to me once you've had your fun.”

Hope points out each stall as they pass by. Shinkai is particularly interested in the different instruments and the straw hats. He makes soft noises at anything that catches his notice. Though he more often than not mistakes a waste basket or dirty pot for goods being sold.

They enter the food area to a cloud of smoke from the grills and a chaos of noise from sellers advertising their dishes. Hope is explaining what kebabs are when the stand owner starts to shout.

“Oi! You can't just pick up my food and not pay for it! That's one gold coin.” 

Hope turns to see Shinkai blinking blankly with a kebab in his hand. Just when did he pick that up? And with his bare hands, too. The kebab has yet to be wrapped in paper. 

He watches him shift and look down on himself before shaking his head, the gold chains on him jingling.

“I have no coins,” Shinkai states but shows no sign of returning the food. Hope thinks he sees the seller pop a vein.

“Why, you-” 

“I-it's alright, I will pay for-”

“Would you like me to play my flute for you?” Shinkai cuts Hope off. 

“A performance for a meal? Go on, then. I've heard many things of Sirenan's musical talent.”

Shinkai hands the kebab to Hope and steps back. He pulls out his flute, closes his eyes, and starts to play.

It is the same heart wrenching feeling Hope felt the first time he heard Shinkai play. This time it feels stronger. Where before Shinkai had been performing on a whim, now he is performing for an audience. The emotion is deeper, the music more entrancing.

When he is done, a crowd has gathered around the kebab stall. They break into applause and cries of praise. Hope thinks he sees one or two shedding tears.

“That was...that was beautiful!” The seller is definitely crying. “Take the meal, in fact, here's another and a shawarma. Take this garlic sauce with you. Would you like a drink?”

Hope sighs in relief. Now they can go back to King Sardinia before Shinkai starts anything else. He makes to move but suddenly more people crowd around them, offering gifts for the show Shinkai put on.

“Your performance, it moved me! Please accept these baklavas.”

“Take this small bracelet as thanks!”

“Some sweets for your song!”

It takes the better part of the afternoon to pull Shinkai from the crowd. He puts in extra effort when people start to ask for an encore. By the time he reaches their ship, Hope is exhausted.

He returns Shinkai to King Sardinia with bags of Eterno delicacies, five new bracelets and necklaces and a new hat on top of his current one. The minstrel is happily chewing on his kebab.

King Sardinia simply grins at the sight, “Looks like you've had fun.”

Erin is standing guard outside the meeting room with Shinkai. Well, Erin is standing. Shinkai is seated on the floor, his flute laying across his lap.

King Sardinia had made a fuss when King Orion demanded Shinkai wait outside as attendants are supposed to do. Erin wonders if it's truly because King Sardinia wishes for Shinkai to be by his side or is it to annoy King Orion. Both options seem fair game.

Shinkai is a nice guy with a beautiful voice. It's also very fun to watch him confuse baskets for hats. But he is also very cryptic and ominous. Conversation with him is hard. He is also, in Erin's opinion, a major space case.

So bite him if he would rather have Shinkai inside the meeting room. It would be much easier to guard his king if he didn't also have to babysit flute boy.

Sometimes Shinkai would start to sing or play his flute and he has to stop him from disturbing the meeting. Every so often he would start to drift in one direction and Erin has to pull him back. He is usually alerted by the chiming of the gold amulets dangling from his hat. Maybe that's why he has them, so King Sardinia won't lose his pet minstrel.

When Erin is distracted with a loud conversation with a passing servant, he misses Shinkai getting up and walking away. He turns to see empty space where Shinkai was before and panics. Fervently looking around, he finally spots him at a shopping cart making rounds. Of course, the cart is selling hats.

“-that will be 200 gold coins,” says the merchant as Shinkai returns the hat he wants and fixes his own back on.

“Can I perform for you?” he offers. The merchant blinks in surprise.

“I told you already! You can't perform while his highness and King Sardinia are having a meeting!” Erin scolds. 

“Oh, yes. I've forgotten,” Shinkai hums. 

Then he grabs an amulet hanging from his hat and pulls.

Erin and the merchant watch in horror as Shinkai breaks one of them off. What's left of the chain connecting it clangs against the marble floor.

“Will this be enough?” he hands the amulet to the merchant. He doesn't seem to register how the merchant's hands shake as she takes the disk from him or how Erin is pulling his own hair out in shock.

The merchant turns the amulet over in her hands in awe. The large gem in it's centre sparkles. She bites the disk to ensure it's authenticity and even pulls out a small eye glass to examine the jewel.

“This...is solid white gold with a-a ruby, in it's centre. It's even lined with rare crystals. This can buy my entire cart. This can buy me a new closet! A house!”

“Is it enough?” Shinkai asks, as if he didn't hear a single thing she just said.

“Yes. Yes! Here, take the hat. And this one! And these as well,” she shoves an armful of her merchandise into Shinkai's arms, “I will spend this wealth carefully. Thank you! Oh, thank you so much!”

She hugs Shinkai then Erin, to his surprise, before grabbing her cart and running out of the hall still shouting in delight. 

When King Sardinia leaves the meeting, he is surprised to see his attendant holding armfuls of new hats and an amulet missing from his chime.

“Erin told me you would be angry for ruining the clothing you gave me. I'm sorry, my king. I wanted to buy a new hat.”

And buy a new hat, he did. Many hats, it seems. 

It's what he gets for skimping out on the details, getting cheap metal for the connectors. The missing amulet doesn't concern him, he has several more chimes for his Shinkai but it is a shame to lose an otherwise perfect fashion ensemble. Especially when he made this specific one to match his own, tailored to the colour scheme of Lama. He sighs.

“Do not worry, you are forgiven,” and how can he not forgive when his Shinkai looks so sorry, “Though next time, I will leave you with some coins to spend.”

The long boat sways as Shinkai steps on it. The water sparkles under the sunlight. He skillfully weaves his way through boat stalls selling food and trinkets. People call out to him.

“Shinkai! How are you doing?”

“Are you going to play for us?”

“Come have a bite, Shinkai!”

Shinkai nods and wave at them but he doesn’t have time to stop at each stall as he usually does. The coins in his pouch ring against each other like bells as he makes his way to a specific stall.

He passes through the busiest areas of the market, dodging merchants offering snacks and meals, clothing and toys. He wonders if his King would be proud of his focus. Or perhaps pardon him for getting another spinning top and a bag of fried kelp. They were free after all.

He spins the crystal top on the surface of a counter and imagines the coloured lights dancing on his King's skin instead of aged wood. Absentmindedly, he reaches into the bag in his hands as he watches. He flinches and withdraws his hand quickly. He distantly remembers a merchant informing him the kelp would still be hot. He sucks on his wounded finger, whining quietly at the pain.

He looks up when he hears a deep belly laugh. An elderly woman stands in front of him with tangled gray hair adorned in aged gold.

"Oh, Shinkai. You be careful, alright! Don't want the king worrying all over you!" The lady admonishes him. He nods rapidly in agreement then eyes the oven behind her. It's manned by another elderly woman, her hair tied in a braid.

"You here for the pastries again, are you?" 

"The one with the cream in the middle," he explains.

"The one your king likes?" She assumes as half of their pastries had cream in the middle.

She chuckles as the minstrel nods again, his golden chains chiming with the movement. She bags several sugar-coated cones overflowing with cream. She adds some chocolate puffs as well, knowing it's what the attendant himself preferred.

"Here you go, my dear," she smiles as she hands the bag over, "Now, what are you going to perform today?"

To her surprise, Shinkai shakes his head.

"I have coins." 

"You have coins! You're not going to pay with song? Our little Shinkai is all grown up, now."

He brings out a heavy pouch to show her. Her eyes widen as he opens it and pours out a small sea of coins onto the counter, they slide and hit the trinket left on the table.

Shinkai doesn't say a word and looks at her expectantly. She laughs under her breath as she picks out enough to pay for the bag of goodies. 

"That's all that's needed, my lovely. You save the rest for something nice for yourself or your dear king, alright? Now, go on. Enjoy the weather."

She watches as Shinkai fills his pouch again. He places the crystal top in with the coins as well. He waves goodbye at the baker and makes his way back to the palace.

He turns at a corner, seeing a light in the back of his mind. The sound of music starts to grow as he walks closer to a young boy singing and playing a lute. A scratched copper bowl lays near his swaying feet.

Shinkai closes his eyes and listens. The music flows through him to the wood of the docks beneath him to the water of the oceans under his feet. The song wavers like a child still growing but the beauty is still there hidden under missed pitches and wrong notes.

He sits down to continue to listen. He doesn't acknowledge the pause in performance as the boy realizes the Royal Attendant has decided to watch him play. He sways with the tune and enjoys how it blends in with the wind blowing in from the sea. 

He puts a coin in the bowl after a while and closes his eyes again to listen. Then he puts another coin. And another. And another. And ano-

"There you are, my dear Shinkai. Making use of your coins, I see," comes the voice of his king.

He looks behind him to see King Sardinia walking towards him. He is dressed down in a simpler white dress. His ceremonial robes may have been left at the palace.

The performer has frozen in shock. He stares wide-eyed at the king before he starts bowing frantically. Sardinia tilts his head at the poor boy with a smile.

He holds his hand out for Shinkai to grasp. His fingers find their place between his king's naturally. 

"My king," he says, "I have bought you something."

Sardinia blinks in surprise. He is handed a familiar paper bag. He looks inside to find his favourite treats, the smell of fresh cream and baked goods wafting up. He can't help but smile knowing his Shinkai has remembered such a detail as his favourite pastries. It's also the first time Shinkai has bought them of his own initiative and his heart warms with more love for his dear attendant.

He places a hand on his warm cheek and his smile widens when Shinkai nuzzles into his palm so instinctively. 

"Thank you, Shinkai. I love them. Let's enjoy these together back at the palace, shall we?" 

"If that is what you wish, my king."

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at me about shinkai @marsaysays on twitter 
> 
> Follow for more fic/art @marshyartsy on twitter!


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